Extra police powers proposed

12 August 2004

Police in England and Wales are to get stronger powers of arrest in a bid to reduce the problem of crime in local communities.

Proposals outlined today in a consultation paper include providing the police with the power of arrest for all offences. Other proposals include:

Testing offenders for drugs on arrest rather than charge
Allowing the courts to draw inferences from an individual's refusal to submit to a search for drugs
Improving the use of warrants
Giving community support officers more powers to deal with problems like traffic and begging
Limiting chief constables' personal liability under health and safety law
Improving the use of forensic material like DNA sampling and roadside fingerprinting
They are part of a package of measures to help ensure the police can effectively tackle crime and address issues of most concern to the public.

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said protecting the public is the government's top priority. The Minister said:

"Everyone has the right to live in a safe and secure environment."

"We want to strengthen the link between the police and the community, increasing the accountability and responsiveness of the service and building the confidence and awareness of the community."

People have until 8 October to respond to the consultation.

Extra info

• The Consultation "Policing: Modernising Police Powers To Meet Community Needs" is available from the Home Office (pdf, 197kbs) (external link)